In this post, we are going to learn which syllable to stress in Spanish. First, notice that all words can be broken up into syllables (except monosyllables). These are the different sounds that words are broken up into, and one of them must be stressed. Here the stressed syllable is shown underlined.
PA-LA-BRA, ÚL-TI-MO – RE-LOJ – ES-TA-CIÓN
There are some very simple rules to help you to remember which part of the word to stress in Spanish, and when to write an accent.
Vey Important! Words don’t have a written acute accent if they follow the normal stress rules. If they do not follow the normal stress rules, they do need an accent. Let’s see these rules.
Spanish stress rules
Giving the right stress to each word will help you very much to improve your pronunciation and be easy to understand, so pay attention to these simple rules:
- Words ending in a vowel or “n” or “s” are stressed on the second-to-last syllable: casa, coche, libro, hermanos, escriben…
- Words ending in a consonant other than “n” or “s” are stressed on the last syllable: beber, ciudad, papel, reloj…
- Any words that deviate from the two previous rules have an accent over the stressed vowel: cafĂ©, estaciĂłn, sofá, difĂcil, lápiz, telĂ©fono…
Agudas, graves or esdrĂşjulas
1. If a word has the stress in the last syllable is called AGUDA: ayer, animal, feliz, cantar, estación, ratón, alemán…
2. If a word has the stress in the second-to-last (penultimate) syllable is called GRAVE: domingo, ensalada, cuchara, abuelo, dĂłlar, árbol, versátil, ortografĂa…
3. If a word has the stress in the antepenultimate syllable is called ESDRĂšJULA: telĂ©fono, cĂ©lula, página, brĂłcoli, mágico, pelĂcula, ocĂ©ano…
In this chart, you have a recap.
Stress in Spanish Exercises
Let’s practices what we have learned about how to stress Spanish words with this exercise. Remember it is important that you read aloud, pay attention when you are listening and practice with your tutor. Don’t you have a Spanish tutor yet?